Ice making machines are in widespread use for supplying cube ice in commercial operations. Typically, the ice making machines produce a large quantity of ice by flowing water over a large chilled surface. The chilled surface is thermally coupled to evaporator coils that are, in turn, coupled to a refrigeration system. The chilled plate, or evaporator, contains a large number of indentations on its surface where water flowing over the surface can collect. Typically, the indentations are die-formed recesses within a metal plate having high thermal conductivity. As water flows over the indentations, it freezes into ice.
To harvest the ice, the evaporator is heated by hot vapor flowing through the evaporator coils. The evaporator plate is warmed to a temperature sufficient to harvest the ice from the evaporator. Once freed from the evaporator surface, a large quantity of ice cubes are produced, which fall into an ice storage bin. The ice cubes produced by a typical ice making machine are square or rectangular in shape and have a somewhat thin profile. Rather than having a three-dimensional cube shape, the ice cubes are tile-shaped and have small height and width dimensions.
In contrast to ice cubes produced by an ice machine, ice cubes produced in residential refrigerators are typically cube-shaped and larger than the ice cubes produced by a commercial ice making machine. Larger ice cubes are desirable for chilling beverages in beverage glasses commonly used in the home. Cubes that can be conveniently picked up by tongs are particularly desirable. Also, ice made by conventional ice making machines freezes running water to produce clear ice cubes, which are desirable. Most domestic ice makers found in refrigerators freeze standing water, which produces clouded ice that is less desirable.
In addition to producing small ice cubes, conventional ice making machines are typically large and bulky machines that require a large amount of space. An ice machine for domestic use, on the other hand, needs to have a small footprint and a compact size that can fit under countertops of cabinetry typically found in domestic kitchens. Ice making machines for domestic use must operate using electricity available at residential current and voltage.
Several ice machines have been developed and sold for the residential market. Typically, such ice machines do not produce large cubes of clear ice. One model produces large, clear cubes, but uses an evaporator that is fairly difficult to produce. Also, the evaporator is not totally reliable and uses spray jets that have a tendency to get plugged up, especially when routine maintenance is not carried out. Nonexistent or, at best, infrequent maintenance is typical for residential ice machines. Accordingly, a need exists for a compact ice making machine capable of producing large cubes of clear ice, with the machine being reliable and compatible for both residential and commercial use, and which can be built at a reasonable cost using automated technology.